Catherine Templeton, Republican candidate for South Carolina governor, says her run for the State House is about service.

That’s the message in the first Facebook video in a series she plans to release over the next two weeks. It directly links her opponent Gov. Henry McMaster to the ongoing corruption probe in Columbia.

Advertisement

“People don’t realize how bad this corruption probe is,” Templeton said in the video, adding, “these are Henry’s people. The people that have been on his payroll for that long have now both been indicted for criminal political corruption or conspiracy, and they’ve pled guilty.”

WYFF News 4 Investigates found Richard Quinn was Gov. Henry McMaster’s longtime political consultant. Quinn was indicted, but he did not enter a guilty plea. Charges against him that included felony criminal conspiracy were dropped as part of a plea deal with his son.

Former Rep. Rick Quinn Jr. was sentenced to probation and community service after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.

“There’s so much corruption in Columbia these days, it’s difficult to keep track of it all,” a Templeton campaign spokesman said in a statement when asked to clarify Templeton's claim.

Templeton says in her video that it’s time to end what she calls “sweetheart deals,” and she mentions nepotism, saying she’ll put a stop to “appointing your brothers and sisters to the state boards and commissions.”

The claim is not directed at an individual, and WYFF News 4 Investigates found no evidence McMaster appointed any of his five brothers to a board or commission. Templeton’s campaign says this is a reference to “South Carolina’s good-old-boy system,” not McMaster, but didn't provide specific examples.

Templeton concludes the video by saying she will not take a paycheck and vows not to run for another office after serving as governor.

WYFF News 4 Investigates reached out to each campaign for reaction to the video.

“What she is proposing is all well and good,” Phil Noble said, “but what she has is fluffy rhetoric. It’s a baby step. We do need term limits.”

John Warren’s campaign replied with a statement saying, in part, Warren "is the only candidate who is not a politician or government insider and will fight for term limits, ending no-bid contracts and accountability-based budgeting.”

"These types of comments are simply political grandstanding," said Marguerite Willis in a statement. "We should be focusing on real issues that affect real South Carolinians, like President Trump’s proposed budget that could be devastatingly harmful to our most vulnerable citizens.”